[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-book-of-strange-tales":3,"chapter-the-book-of-strange-tales-the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-81":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Book of Strange Tales",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2317361,4532,"Chapter 81","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-81",81,"\u003Cp>The snow on Yishan continued falling through February, but it grew increasingly sparse; by the end, only fine snowflakes drifted down during the worst weather, and the once ice-and-snow fairyland of winter was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only now did spring truly arrive in the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The constable named Pan Yi came up the mountain again in person, arriving just as a light snow fell, bringing the interrogation and verdict regarding the warrior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They learned nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every few days, the Daoists of Fuqiu Temple had to go to the neighboring Jianbao Peak to do hard labor, repairing the temple for their fellow Daoists there—everyone except Yunhe Daoist was required to go. But since the brothers worked together without distinction, chatting and laughing while laboring, it was undeniably enjoyable, and as for hardship, that was out of the question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon after spring arrived, peach and pear blossoms covered the entire mountain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Choosing a free day with fine spring weather, the Daoists of Fuqiu Temple brought food and wine up into the deep peach groves, sat in a circle, and enjoyed the spring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the ground were braised meat, salted meat, and Lin Jue’s steamed red sugar cake, along with the third senior brother’s homemade rice wine; above them, peach blossoms filled the air, and a slender fox lay on a peach branch, its fluffy tail dangling down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The junior sister hugged a colorful lynx and bent her head, Zhuanxin  eating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How are your cultivation and spellcraft coming along?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yunhe Daoist, holding a piece of cake, his long beard dusted with crumbs, asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Back to Master, my progress is hard to gauge, but I’ve never slackened in cultivation,” Lin Jue replied. “As for spellcraft, I’ve learned fire spells and alchemy from Second Senior Brother, and I’m about to begin the Bean Soldiers technique.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Back to Master, same as him—I’ve nearly crossed the first mountain on my path. If I hadn’t gone to help Fourth Auntie repair her temple, I’d have crossed it already.” The junior sister echoed Lin Jue, then glanced at him in confusion—how could she have learned one technique while he learned two, and still not fall behind?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, she added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve also studied swordplay diligently with Third Senior Brother—he always says I have great talent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Enough of that—today’s spring is so bright, the mountain covered in peach blossoms; why talk of cultivation when we should be drinking?” Third Senior Brother lifted a wine jar in one hand, poured wine for everyone as he swayed his head, humming happily, “Wine is the elixir of immortals, driving away all cold; wine is the tonic of life, dissolving three thousand troubles…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yunhe Daoist chuckled, unconcerned, grabbed meat, and raised his cup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue felt a slight itch at the back of his neck; he turned and saw his little fox’s tail, swinging unconsciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He patted it once, then raised his cup and drank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Third Senior Brother drank constantly and often added wine to meals, his brews were low in alcohol—whether fruit wine or rice wine, they had little strength. Yet he was skilled at brewing: his wine was never bitter or astringent, often sweet, and Lin Jue and the junior sister drank it like sweet water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In high spirits, Seventh Senior Brother plucked a peach blossom and tossed it into the air, where it transformed into a peach-colored butterfly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone turned to look.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It truly looked like a butterfly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The tiny stem attached to the flower became its body, the stamens its head and antennae, the petals its wings, fluttering above their heads and between the peach branches.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The colorful lynx couldn’t tell it apart, drawn entirely by the butterfly; it leapt from the junior sister’s arms, hopping and chasing, but couldn’t catch it. Then, as the butterfly flew past the fox, the fox reached out naturally, plucked it from the air, and calmly dropped it into the lynx’s paws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The butterfly landed—just a few petals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seventh Senior Brother held his cup, smiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue truly felt the charm of illusion magic; at that moment, it became the one spell he most wanted to learn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now it’s peach and pear blossoms, but in a few more days, the azaleas on the mountain will bloom,” Yunhe Daoist said. “Yishan has scenery in every season; after you see this year’s azaleas, you’ll have seen a full cycle.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a year already,” Lin Jue sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s been a year already!” the junior sister mimicked him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Junior sister, don’t forget to pick some peach blossoms after drinking; in a few days, we’ll have peach wine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll remember, Senior Brother.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You rascal, your own task, you make your junior sister do it!” Yunhe Daoist shot him a glare. “What did you just call me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daoists naturally pursued freedom and spontaneity, so they called themselves however they pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After laughter died down, the senior brothers asked Lin Jue what vegetables he planned to plant and what poultry or livestock to raise, planning the year’s meals. Lin Jue lay back, occasionally naming a dish or giving a brief description, and each time, they drooled with anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they chatted, suddenly, something stirred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fox, nearly asleep on the branch, twisted its head toward the distant sky; among all the Daoists on the mountain, only Yunhe Daoist turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wind swept across the mountain, peach blossoms swirling, and a paper crane flew in on the breeze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did others notice Yunhe Daoist’s gaze and turn to look, momentarily mistaking it for Seventh Senior Brother’s illusion magic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the paper crane circled in the air, as if searching, then locked onto the group below, wobbled, and plummeted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yunhe Daoist reached out and caught it perfectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue glimpsed a faint spiritual glow on the crane, but it vanished the moment it landed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yunhe Daoist showed no surprise, simply unfolded it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other senior brothers watched curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A message? Where from? How did this spell bypass the Yishan Mountain God?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From Mingchou Mountain,” Yunhe Daoist said after reading. “They say this year’s Grand Rite will be held at Mingchou Mountain during the Mid-Autumn Festival. They hope we’ll attend.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Grand Rite?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue instantly recalled last spring’s Daoist gathering at Qiyun Mountain, where city performers traveled thousands of miles to attend—it too had been a Grand Rite. He asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is the Grand Rite held every year?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, it’s irregular—sometimes long intervals, sometimes short,” Yunhe Daoist said, handing the paper to the eldest senior brother while explaining to Lin Jue. “Though timing isn’t fixed, holding a Grand Rite demands immense manpower and wealth. When I was young, twenty years ago, they were held every four or five, sometimes six years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue didn’t ask further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After so long on the mountain, he knew that zhaijiao was a solemn ritual of the Talisman Sect, meant to honor deities and pray for national peace, prosperity, and favorable weather.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Famous Spirit Method sects were also invited—not only because they were fellow Daoists, but because, beyond personal cultivation, the Spirit Method sects could also contribute to peace and harmony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, Spirit Method cultivators, wandering hermits, and extraordinary individuals were generally isolated, with little interaction; the Grand Rite, a well-known event across the land, became an excellent platform for exchange: they could discuss global trends, forge alliances, even trade talismans, pills, or spells, each gaining what they needed, and thus many traveled from afar to attend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fact that the Grand Rite, once held every four or five years, was being held again after only a year and a half meant the realm was in turmoil—unpeaceful, unprosperous, droughts and floods rampant—so they were willing to spend such wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of spell is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue asked, staring at the paper crane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He regretted not reaching out to catch it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Paper-folding illusion,” Seventh Senior Brother replied casually. “But this one was cast by the Talisman Sect.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the difference?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No essential difference—it’s still paper-folding illusion. But Talisman Sect Daoists don’t master this spell themselves; they borrow the power of deities. Specifically, they borrow from deities who specialize in this art—roughly speaking, one of the few beings alive today with the deepest mastery of this technique. Thus, it can fly ten or a hundred li nearby, or thousands of li afar, reaching anywhere within the deity’s divine influence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the Spirit Method sect?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our temple doesn’t have the paper-folding illusion spell. Even if you learned it, your mastery would be too shallow to fly far. But if your mastery were deep, you could fly far—still, to make it find its target accurately, you’d need to request divine aid, or capture a ghost or summon a lingering soul to guide it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Talisman Sect still has the advantage…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not just that,” Seventh Senior Brother smiled. “If a regular cultivator folded a paper crane, even with a ghost guiding it, it could reach Fuqiu Peak—but it couldn’t pass the Yishan Mountain God’s barrier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do all Talisman Sect cultivators know this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not—it depends on which deity you worship, whether that deity knows this technique, and whether it’s the one who specializes in it,” Seventh Senior Brother said. “Qiyun Mountain doesn’t worship this deity, but they have other abilities—last year, they sent their message using Qingji, under the command of the Spirit of Yi Li.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Qingji…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A spirit creature that travels a thousand li a day.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Should we go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone turned to Yunhe Daoist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cough, sigh—Grand Rites are rare; we can’t possibly miss this one. Especially now, if Fuqiu Temple doesn’t attend, our fellow Daoists will call us indifferent to the world.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Daoist paused:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I’m old, and Mingchou Mountain is far—I can’t walk there anymore. Alas, these are turbulent times; who knows what troubles might come knocking at our door? None of you should leave the temple entirely. This zhaijiao involves little for us—it’s just for the spectacle. One of you seniors should take these two young ones along, let them see the world. See what other Spirit Method cultivators are capable of, what extraordinary talents exist beyond our mountain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue and the junior sister nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once decided, the Daoists promptly forgot the matter, continuing to eat, drink, and laugh, as if untroubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the junior sister was fixated on picking peach blossoms; she hadn’t even finished eating before she gathered half a bamboo basket, then returned to sit and listen to the senior brothers’ talk. Unconsciously, flowers settled on everyone and the fox alike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This, surely, was how the people below imagined the path of cultivation—the true, spontaneous, natural life of a Daoist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back at the temple, it was nothing more than pine pollen wine, spring water steeped in tea; in these peaceful days, morning rains and evening winds came and went, and peach blossoms hurriedly fell, the spring red vanishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountain’s spiritual plants bloomed too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By early summer, they bore fruit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Twenty-plus fruits first appeared; when they grew to the size of a fingernail, it became clear they were fruits—and no more would emerge. The mountain’s spirits then plucked and discarded some—mostly the stunted or clustered ones—leaving seventeen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mountain’s spirits totaled fourteen, plus Lin Jue, the junior sister, and the fox—exactly seventeen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lin Jue hadn’t expected them to thin the fruit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their counting skills surpassed even those of the Daoists at Jianbao Peak.\u003C\u002Fp>",1885,"2026-06-20T14:45:35.226Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2563beae14f7d99085d939a9243703c7fda95841232dd1ab8c25cde49116e12c","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-82","the-book-of-strange-tales-chapter-80",608,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-book-of-strange-tales-cover.jpg"]